Plans for Holland Civic Center being redeveloped | News

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HOLLAND, Mich. (WZZM) -- Major renovations are coming to the Holland Civic Center. Monday night project leaders held the first of a series of meetings.

The big concern about the plan is how it will affect the Farmers Market in Holland. An early design for the project would have reduced parking -- something many people were opposed to. That blueprint got scrapped and now the city wants public input on the $11 million project.

At Monday's meeting, leaders showed examples of what other cities have done with similar projects. They say they want recreation to stay strong at the civic center but not at the expense of parking.

"What we need to do is figure out how to integrate the farmers market with all the new improvements, help the market take its next step, and really resolve these issues and move past some of the parking concerns so that we've got the right kind of walkable neighborhood, make sure everything is still functional but help it be active seven days a week," said project leader Greg Weykamp.

A new plan was not unveiled Monday -- that won't come until March. Over the course of the next two months, there will be a series of workshops where project designers will get more input.